To the everyday man or woman, the word "assertive" probably connotes impressions of being outspoken, opinionated, and perhaps more than a little aggressive. Assertiveness can involve these things and often does, but it is not synonymous with aggression, which is usually destructive. Also, assertiveness can include the expression of friendly and warm feelings as well as the expression of negative ones. Underassertiveness is a common finding in persons diagnosed as neurotic,1 and as such should be of concern to pastoral counselors. It obviously is of interest to many laymen, as evidenced by the large number of popular books on the subject, including the best sellers Stand Up, Speak Out, Talk Back,2 and When I Say No, I Feel Guilty* For various reasons, however, clergymen have generally resisted discussing or using techniques dealing with assertiveness. This quite likely reflects a resistance to behavior therapy and behavioral techniques generally.4 The reasons may be theological or theoretical, but acceptance of assertive training specifically or of behavior therapy generally has been almost nonexistent. Perhaps some movement in this direction is occurring. Mental illness was described as "being behaviorally different" in a recent Journal of Religion and Health article.5 Believing in an eclectic approach to pastoral care that supports the use of behavioral as well as more dynamic approaches, I have written the following comments as documentation of the theological acceptability of assertiveness. The goal is that the pastoral counselor and/or parish clergyman will 1) be more assertive himself (or herself) for his own mental health and as a model for his followers, 2) utilize more assertiveness training in his pastoral care, and 3) encourage more assertiveness generally through his preaching and educational and visiting ministries. The process of documentation is quite simple to demonstrate that Jesus exhibited assertive behavior repeatedly in his life and ministry.